Amnesty for Undocumented Workers–YES

With the presidential election process beginning to take shape, the issue of Immigration reform is a hot button issue. While Donald Trump may want to build a wall (and have Mexico pay for it), this may not be the best thing for the economy. The Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project states that there are over 8.4 million unauthorized immigrants working in America. For Northampton County, these workers are critical. Without them, the current workforce would decline, and this would have a serious effect on elements of our core economy, such as agricultural production.

Even as undocumented workers are easy political targets, statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that, “about half of the hired workers employed in U.S. crop agriculture were unauthorized, with the overwhelming majority of these workers coming from Mexico.” The USDA has also warned that, “Any potential immigration reform could have significant impacts on the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry.” For perspective, if our immigrant labor force was cleared out, U.S. retail milk prices would increase well over 50 percent.

Echoing the Department of Labor, the USDA, and the National Milk Producers Federation, agricultural labor economist James S. Holt made the following statement to Congress in 2007: “The reality, however, is that if we deported a substantial number of undocumented farm workers, there would be a tremendous labor shortage.”

So, what are the numbers really like? The Department of Labor reports that of the 2.5 million farm workers in the U.S., over half (53 percent) are illegal immigrants. Growers and labor unions estimate the actual figure at 70 percent.

There has been some concern that illegals are putting a strain on social services and welfare, yet the Congressional Budget Office in 2007 reported that, “Over the past two decades, most efforts to estimate the fiscal impact of immigration in the United States have concluded that, in aggregate and over the long term, tax revenues of all types generated by immigrants—both legal and unauthorized—exceed the cost of the services they use.” According to the New York Times, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration claims that undocumented workers have contributed close to 10% ($300 billion) of the Social Security Trust Fund.

On the National stage, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly has been a one woman gang, exposing the xenophobic political platforms of presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. In a recent interview, Ms. Kelly asked Cruz, “If you have a husband and a wife who are illegal immigrants, and they had two children here who are American citizens — would you deport all of them? Would you deport the American citizen children?”
Cruz attempted to sidestep the question by mouthing platitudes about stopping illegal immigration and to “improve and streamline” legal immigration.

“But that doesn’t sound like an answer. Is it an unfair question?” Kelly asked.

Kelly is correct; fundamental fairness is the real issue here. In Northampton County, we hope to see more growth in core industries like construction, agriculture, and hospitality, which will in turn put more pressure on the demand for these services as well as incentives for keeping production costs low and prices competitive. Without a hardworking, dependable and talented immigrant workforce, these goals may be hard to meet. As a county, we must acknowledge and respect the contributions of our immigrant population (and pay them accordingly). They not only provide economic benefits, but also contribute so much on a social and cultural level, and are an integral part of our county’s hope for the future.

As a county in the Commonwealth, we should do what we can to limit or even halt the wasteful endeavor of tracking down workers on construction sites, in restaurants or chicken-processing plants, and breaking up families in the process. At the state and local level, we must ensure that elected officials are not going to be playing political football with immigrant families, and will instead be going to Richmond and Washington, pressing for new laws that will not only allow us to meet the demands of our economic infrastructure, but will also work to create a fair, diverse and fertile environment in which all members of this county can thrive.

A quick history lesson:
North America was settled by Anglo/Celts and has enjoyed prosperity, peace and freedom unparalleled in human history.
Central and South America were settled by Hispanics, and have has revolutions, generalissimos, poverty, disease and strife forever.
Now our betters want to bring that Eden of “diversity” here.
NO.

Wow! Can’t be anymore brief than that “Quick” history lesson. However, so very wrong. Actually, North and South America was settled by Spain (first) France (second) and your beloved English (third). Our prosperity was built upon the backs of indentured and enslaved peoples basically for free. (talk about your profit margin) The freedom was not free. Two wars with your beloved English, one with Mexico (which we started) and one with each other. The rest were expansionistic motions into the rest of the world. Spanish American War/Philippines, WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War and now Mid-East/Afghan conflicts.
The strife you refer to in Central and South America so cavalierly, as being the fault of the Hispanics, I take issue with. The history of the meddling of the United States in Central and South America in the past one hundred years is both long and dirty. I suggest you take a “quick” history lesson and read up on the CIA, Marines and various other “Black” factions that have blocked, provoked, inspired, stymied, overthrown, assassinated, tortured and generally screwed up our neighbors to the south. That is not even to mention the European factors that were there doing the same thing several hundred years before us. And you wonder why they are pouring over our borders into our country. Wow!

Yep, I’d agree. Pretty sure that’s how the general populace felt when General Pinochet took over Chile in an illegal coup sponsored by the United States’ CIA and then started to round up the youth of that country and killing them. You hit the nail on the head there, Mr. Bell. In my honest opinion, xenophobia will be the downfall of all the nations, unless we can learn to open our borders and share our vast wealth with those less fortunate. But, we as a nation are too busy selling arms to factions that intend only harm and subjugation of its own people. We will never progress as an enlightened nation as long as we look to the bottom line of what I’ve got is mine and to hell with everybody else.

I appreciate your candor, Ms. Urban. And yes, I’d agree, what you have IS yours. I was not implying that we have to share our good fortune with others. I realize that that is a choice. However, that said, I believe that too few Americans have an abundance while too many others have very little. As for me, I am somewhere in the middle. I have my health, a good job, a family that loves me and a circle of friends that are near and dear to me. I have resources from that good job that enable me to acquire the means to live a comfortable life. So, in many ways, I am rich. And, given the choice, would I forfeit all of this to be destitute and alone? I seriously doubt that I would. So, somewhere in the middle, again, I try to give back to my community to help out those less fortunate than I. Also, that is MY choice. I have talents that enable me to do a type of charity work to where I have raised money in the past to purchase uniforms for inner city kids for baseball clubs. I have also raised money for cancer awareness. I have raised money to purchase and donate groceries to families with health issues or have lost a family member. Does this make me feel I am sharing my wealth? No! I am sharing other peoples’ wealth while I am sharing my talents. But it does feel like giving.
There is a lot of pain and suffering in the world, Ms. Urban, which I do hope you are aware. I was speaking of those that chose to turn a blind eye to that suffering and do nothing. I know of people who have a lot of money, but very little joy. I also know of people who have very little materialistically, but the love and joy that shines from them glitters more than gold. I don’t know if you are a “churchy” type of person or not…personally, I am not. (I only play a preacher on the internet…little joke there). But there are several verses in the New Testament that really put emphasis on what I am trying to say here. If you would take the time to locate and read this and then respond, I would appreciate that. They are, Matthew 5:3 and Matthew 19:24 thru 26. This to me, is the honest understanding of our place in the world and where our treasures are truly stored.